If machine operators are always aware of the condition of their machine tools, they can prevent unplanned downtime. In the best possible way, WEISS presented ideas for future manufacturing processes as well as various innovative products at the EMO 2017 in Hanover and beyond. The booth from WEISS was integrated into that of the mother company Siemens. The visitors quickly realized that this time the focus was not on pure hardware, but rather on the topics of digitization and industry 4.0, and how the sensor module SMI 24 fits into this development.
An important role is played by the newly integrated "Data Export" tool, which allows to store various information about the spindle (such as runtime, tool clamping, etc.) as a csv file on external drives or cloud platforms. The great advantage: as clear diagrams, users can evaluate trends from every internet-enabled PC and draw conclusions about the degree of wear on the spindle.
A further step in the future was WEISS with its second trade fair focus topic - the Additive Manufacturing (AM). Engineers have been working intensively on this topic for more than three years. The focus here is an optimized cooling of the spindle. Current results show that with the aid of AM, a high-performance cooling system can be integrated even with a small wall thickness or a small installation space. In this way, the thermal influence of the machine frame by the spindle can be reduced to a minimum. The accuracy of the machine is improved.
